While there are
many golf car manufacturers in India, however those who manufacture
eco-friendly electric vehicles in the country are very few. Golf cars are
generally used to transport golfers and their golfing equipment around a golf
course. Golf cars come in a variety of designs, shapes and sizes manufactured
by many companies into this space.
Golf cars can only
transport minimum number of passengers around a golf course. They are designed
for short distances with their top speed being 15mph. Golf cars are now no
longer referred to as golf carts or golf buggies since this could imply that
they are self-propelled. With advancements in technology and manufacture of
electric vehicles in India, the golf car manufacturers seem to have embraced
this trend and developed electric golf cars.
Dating back to
history, electric golf cars were the first vehicle to be produced for private
use since 1951 and in the beginning most of them were electric vehicles,
however now some are gas-powered as well. Gasoline golf cars are less popular
on the golf course as they exhaust fumes and are very noisy. They require a lot
more maintenance over the electric golf cars.
Golf cars are one
of kind amazing vehicles that serve as turf cars, utility vehicles and even
hospitality carts. Global golf cart market is growing at a CAGR of 6.6% from
2014 to 2020. These electric engine powered vehicles now utilize high-end
digital technology for providing better performance and efficiency with little
or no harm to the ecological balance.
Golf car
manufacturing is analysed to be the fastest growing industry segment in terms
of growth revenues and size in the near future. An interesting article in
Harvard Business Review talks about the future of electric vehicles in detail
and goes ahead to state, “When people think of electric vehicles, they think of
Tesla. But if you want to see the future of EVs it’s important to look
elsewhere. Despite glowing media reports, Tesla is not disruptive, and it will
have trouble scaling as it seeks to grow.”
According to Thomas Bartman in HBR review, there are only two categories of
disruptive EVs namely: low-speed electric vehicles such as golf cars and electric
utility vehicles (EUVs). Early generations of low-speed EVs were basically golf
carts that could be driven on public roads. Over time, golf car manufacturers
have added features like stereos, hard doors, and even defrosters and heaters
to the traditional golf cart.
Low-speed EVs such
as golf cars typically sell for half what a comparable combustion-powered car
would cost, and because they’re not considered “real” cars, they’re exempted
from expensive licensing and registration fees. Also there is significantly
less capital investment for manufacture of user-friendly electric vehicles in
India, such as golf cars for easy and quick transport to shorter distances.
Considering lower
capital investment, many golf car manufacturers are producing electric vehicle in India with a touch of luxury and performance improvement features such as
power steering and air conditioning. However, combating effects of global
warming would require golf car manufacturers to adopt green technologies and
save the environment from pollution. Electric vehicles in India are soon
picking up the market momentum. Way to go!
